Tubing-machine.



C. LEA.

TUBING MACHINE. APPLICATION FlLED-JULYG. 1911.

mm E 4 mm J m M w f e m Mm D m M Y I a m\ v m EMF 3 M w r w Ar w A w a m m m 1 i 1 W 7202s on. pnannnna. vusamn ou. a. c

LEA.

TUBING MACHINE.

APPLICATION man JULY 6. NHL

Patented July 11, 1916.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2 mvl mm U

w w K. LL? m [l m W CHARLES LEA, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO AMERICAN WARP DRAWING MACHINE COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF- MAINE.-

TUBING-MACHINE.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that 1, CHARLES LEA, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Boston, county of Suffolk, State of Massachusetts, (whose post-office address is corner of Freeport and Beach streets, Dorchester, Massachusetts,) have invented an Improvement in Tubing-Machines, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like characters on the drawings representing like parts.

This invention relates to :the manufacture of carpets or rugs of the Axminster and similar types, the subject of this application being more specifically the provision of an improved apparatus for placing the tuft yarns or pile threads customarily used in the weaving of such carpets'or rugs-into the separate tubes of a tube frame or-pile thread guide of the typeordinarily employed in carpet looms for this class of work.

The invention will be bestunderstood by reference to the following description when taken in connection with the accompanying illustration of one specific embodiment thereof while its scope will be more'p articularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a front elevation, partly in section and partly broken away, showing opposite ends of a tubing machine embodying one form of my invention; Fig. 2 is a detailed front elevation partly broken away showing oneend of the" machine with the transfer comb shifted lat-j erally; Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation, partly broken away, taken on the line 3 3 of Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a view in perspective .of one end of the transfer comb; Fig.- 5 is'a. side elevation of one end of the machine partly broken away and showing the comb moving and yarn freeing mechanism; and Fig; 6

is a rear-elevation,- in partial section, of they parts which move'the comb.

Referring to the drawings and first to Figs. 1 and 5, the yarns 1 are-shown wound upon the usual winding spool 2, the latter having its ends removably held in the cup shaped holders 3 supported at opposite ends upon the frame of the machine. The series of yarns are held'across the path of the.

needles 4 and separated in a prearranged pattern by means of a separating holding Specification of Letters Patent. Patented July 11, 1916 Application filed July 6, 1911. Serial No. 637,144.

andguiding device for the yarn ends comprising the comb 5. .This comb, as represented inFig. 4, has a series of teeth between which the tuft yarns pass, a retaining piece 6 being applied to the comb to prevent the escape of the yarns therefrom, but preferably without clamping or gripping the yarns orotherwise opposing theirv withdrawal from the comb when seized by the needles. The comb may be applied to the yarns when the latterfl are wound upon the winding. spool in the winding machine. In the tubing machine the comb is held in a grooved holding bar The tubeframe 8 is applied to the tubing machine so that the tubes 9 rest upon a horizontal plate or bed 10, the tubes being clampedinto position by suitable means not herein shown."

The needles 4 are herein arranged in a series or bank, one needle for each tube, and are carried upon a suitable cross head or holder 11;s0 arranged that at the proper time they may be projected forwardly each through one of the, tubes to seize a yarn strand or strands and draw it through its tube from the larger to the smaller end thereof. The needle cross head is fixedly secured at each end to a slide bar 12 sliding through guideways on the machine frame. and is advanced or retracted by a movement of the needle actuating gear 13 on the driving shaft 14, the gear-meshing with the rack teeth 15 out on the under side of the slide bar 12. The drivingshaft lt isgiven appropriate turning movement from the transverse shaft 16 to'move the'needles by means ofa pinion 17 secured at one end thereof and meshing with'the gear segment 18, the

latter carried by the lever arm 19 pivoted 'apair of slide bars 2 1 slidably' mounted in the'cross head 11. *A spring 25 holds the guide bar near the hooked ends of the needles when the cross head advances, but as the needles enter the tubes the guide bar comes to rest against the plate 10, allowing the needles to advance through the tubes relatively to the guide bar, this relative movement being permitted by the extension of the spring 25. The guide bar 23 serves to aline the needles accurately with the mouths of the tubes when entering the same and to hold the needles in rigid separation when retracted. In Fig. 5 the needles are shown in fulllines in their retracted position. When they have been projected through the tubes and beyond the yarn strands, the' latter are then given a slight lateral movement to lay the yarns across the needles and within the path of the needle hooks to be seized by the latter on their return. In the illustrated form of the inven tion this is accomplished by shifting the transfer comb 5 itself, this acting, because of the close relation which the comb bears to the needles and tubes, to lay the yarn strands with certainty across the needles and within the hooked portions thereof as represented in Fig. 2. Preferably the shift ing action is performed automatically and immediately following and consequent upon the assumption of the needles to the extreme advanced position. To this end the holder 7 of the transfer comb is slidably mounted on the machine in the brackets 26 and has an extension 27 which is secured to the upright arm 28. The latter has its lower end secured between washers 29 and 30 on the sliding shaft 31 so that longitudinal movement of the shaft causes movement of the arm 28 and the cam holder 7 although the shaft is free to turn within the arm 28. The shaft is slidably mounted in the frame, the opposite end being provided with a collar 32, between which and the adjacent frame there is provided the coiled spring 33 normally holding the shaft and arm 28 in the position shown in Fig. 1. At the opposite end of the shaft, between the arm and machine frame, there are provided devices whereby at the appropriate time the shaft may be moved endwise, thereby moving the holder and the cam frame in the position shown in Fig. 1 to the position shown in Fig. 2.

Referring more particularly to Figs. 1, 5 and 6, between the arm 28 and machine frame, the shaft has fixedly secured thereto a rocker arm 34. This arm has a projection 35 carrying the adjustable, laterally extending pin 36. The latter bears against a cam face 37 on the adjacent are shaped cam 38 which is fixed to the frame of the machine. The face 37 of the cam presents an inclined path so that when the actuator arm is turned the pin is caused to ride up on the face of the cam pressing the arm away from the machine frame and thereby moving the shaft 31 against the spring 33 and forcing the comb arm 28 farther away from the machine. This shifts the transfer comb to the position shown in Fig. 2. The actuator arm 34 is normally drawn toward its rearward position by the spring 39, but can be moved automatically to shift the comb at the required time by means of the pusher rod 40, one end of which is seated in a socket in the actuator arm and the opposite end in a socket in an upright lever 41. The latter is pivoted on the frame at 4:2 and carries roll 43 which presses against the face of a suitably formed cam 44 secured to transverse shaft 16 so that it is turned in the direction of the arrow in synchronism with the needle cam 22. The cam is so shaped that no movement is given the actuator arm until the needles have been projected through the tubes and beyond the yarn strands. The transfer comb is then shifted longitudinally by the raised portion of the cam designated as 45 which moves the yarn strands from substantially vertical lines across the shanks of the needles as represented in Fig. 2, so that the retraction of the needles which immediately follows results in the seizure of the appropriated yarn strand or strands by each needle.

The comb 5 is preferably located in close relation to the tubes as shown so that it can be utilized in alining the yarns with the tubes, andhold the yarns separated and at the same time lay the yarns across the needles as described. In this position of the comb however some provision must be made for supplying a sufiieient length of yarn to permit the strands to be drawn through the tubes. The length of the drawn in yarn should also be suflicient to permit the ends to be trimmed to a definite length beyond the ends of the tubes. Heretofore the requisite length of yarn has been provided by causing the free ends of the strands to project beyond the comb for a considerable dis- 1 tance. WVhen the needles engaged the strands these projecting ends would be drawn through and free from the comb and the necessary excess length of yarn thereby pro vided to permit the drawing-in operation. ill

The projection of the yarn strands beyond the comb for any considerable length, however, is a disadvantage in that it tends to cause the strands to entangle or become entangled with each other and in the comb, imposing an excessive frictional strain upon the yarns when they are hooked and drawn by the needles. In the present form of the machine, I have provided means for moving the yarn holder itself relatively to l length after the needles have seized the yarn. T

Referring more particularly to Figs. 1 and 3, each end of the spool is centered in the cup shaped holder 3 by means of the pin 46 with which yarn spools are customarily provided. This seats in an opening in the cup shaped holder 8, the spool being prevented from rotating by means of an eccentrically located spring pressed pin 17, which enters a hole in the head of the spool. Each holder is provided with three such pins and, when installed in the holder, the spool is turned until one of these pins snaps into the corresponding hole in the spool head. The holder 3 is secured to the shaft or pintle 48 which is journaled in the associated casing 49. The casing at one end contains the spring 50 interposed between the same and the spool holder, and the shaft 48 is longitudinally slidable in the casing so that the holder can be pressed back into the casing to receive or to release the spool. The peripheries of the two holders are provided with gear teeth and these mesh with the gears 51 and 52 respectively, the latter being both fixed on the shaft 5%) and adapted to be turned by the hand wheel 54:. The gear 51 is of suflicient length to permit the sliding movement of its holder 3 referred to without disengagement of the gears. By

turning the hand wheel 54 the holders for opposite ends of the spool are simultaneously turned so that, when the spool is installed as described and the comb inserted in its holder 7, the spool may be turned and a perfectly uniform tension applied to all the strands upon the spool.

To prevent the reversing or unwinding of the spool except when required, the shaft 48 for one of the holders is provided with the ratchet wheel 55 engaged by the pawl 56 pivoted on the frame, the latter normally held in engagement therewith by the spring 57. The pawl, however, has an arm 58 00- operatively associated with a cam 59, the latter On the shaft 31. When a raised portion of the cam is brought beneath the pawl arm 58, the pawl is lifted free from the ratchet, and the spool is then free to turn and relax the yarn. The cam 59 may be adjusted so that the relaxation of the yarns will occur at any suitable time, but, as indicated in the drawings, its adjustment herein is such that, as the needles retract to a position just within the tubes, the pawl is lifted, the spool released and the yarn then commences to unwind from the spool under the pull of the needles until the pawl is again dropped into the ratchet by the reverse movement of the shaft 31. The spool is again held fixed by the pawl preferably about the time the needles emerge from the tubes, although the precise timing of the release and relocking of the spool may and will be varied to suit differing conditions; such as length of yarn, relative position of tubes, comb, etc. The needles, therefore, may be caused to move back through the tubes without interruption of their retractile movement, the spool being released to let out the yarn and then, immediately after, again being locked when the requisite amount of yarn has been unwound. This materially decreases the breakage in the yarn and increases the speed of the operation since the retractile movement of the needles does not require to be suspended as heretofore.

It will be observed that the described arrangement permits the yarn ends to be so related to the comb that the ends are pulled free from the comb on the initial movement of the needles. Herein the yarn ends may be trimmed down to a distance of one inch or less'beyond the comb as they are installed in the machine, whereas heretofore it has been necessary to project the yarn ends for three inches or more beyond thecomb. In the illustrated form of machine the yarn ends are drawn free from the comb prior to or at about the time the needles enter the tubes on their retractile movement.

While for illustrative purposes I have herein shown one specific embodiment of the invention, it is to be understood that extensive deviations may be made from'the details of construction and the form and relative arrangement of parts, as well as from the application herein made of the invention without departing from the spirit thereof.

Claims:

1. In a machine for placing tuft yarns in carpet manufacture through the tubes of a tube frame, the combination with tubing means of a tube frame holder, an alining guide for the yarns, a holder for each end of the spool in which the end is removably placed and held, means for holding the holders fixed or released as required, and means connecting said holders for simultaneously turning the same.

2. In a machine for placing tuft yarns in carpet manufacture through the tubes of a tube frame, the combination with tubing means of a tube frame holder, an alining guide for the yarns, a holder for each end of the spool in which the said end is removably placed, means for holding the holders fixed or released as required, gears for turning said holders, and. a rigid shaft connecting said gears.

3. In a machine for placing tuft yarns in carpet manufacture through the tubes of a tube frame, the combination with a tube frame holder of tubing means, a yarn holding spool, a holder for each end of the spool in which the said end is removably held, spring-pressed means upon the holder to engage with the spool for turning the same, means for holding the holders fixed or released as required, and means connecting the holders to cause them to turn simultaneously.

i. In a machine for placing tuft yarns in carpet manufacture through the tubes of a tube frame, the combination with a plurality of needles, a toothed holder for holding separated the yarn ends in close ap proximation to the tubes, a spool holder wherein the spool is normally held, means for freeing the spool to release the yarn during the tubing operation.

5. In a machine for placing tuft yarns in carpet manufacture through the tubes of a tube frame, the combination with a plurality of needles, a toothed holder for holding the yarns separated in close association with the tubes, means for moving said holder to lay the yarn across the needles, means for holding the yarn spool fixed, and means for releasing the spool before subsequently again fixing the same to let out a predetermined length of yarn during the tubing operation.

6. In a tubing machine for tuft yarn, the combination with a bank of needles, means for moving the needles, a spool holder and spool releasing means automatically actuated in cooperation with the needle moveing means.

7. In a tubing machine for placing tuft yarns, the combination with needles and needle moving means, of a spool holder and means providing for the unwinding movement of the spool during the retraction of the needles.

8. In a machine for placing tuft yarns in carpet manufacture through the tubes of a tube frame, the combination with ,a tube frame holder of tubing means, a yarn holding spool, aholder for each end of the spool in which said spool end is removably held,

spring-pressed means upon the holder to engage with the spool for turning the same, means for holding the holders fixed or released as required, and means connecting the holders for simultaneously turning the two holders together.

9. In a machine for placing tuft yarns in carpet manufacture through the tubes of a tube frame, the combination with a plurality of needles, an alining guide for holding separated the yarn ends in close approXimation to the tubes, spool-holding means comprising a holder for each end of the spool, means connecting said holders to cause them to turn simultaneously, and means automatically to release the holders to permit the yarn to unwind during the tubing operation.

10. In a machine for placing tuft yarns in carpet manufacture through the tubes of a tube frame, the combination with a plurality of thread-placing means, means for holding a tube frame, means for mov ing the thread-placing means to place the yarns through the tubes of the tube frame, means for holding the yarn spool fixed, and means for automatically releasing the spool during the tubing operation to permit the yarn to unwind therefrom.

11. In a machine for placing tuft yarns in carpet manufacture through the tubes of a tube frame, the combination with a plurality of thread-placing devices, holding means for the tube frame, means for holding the yarns in separated relation with reference to the tubes, means to hold the yarn spool fixed against rotation, means for moving said thread-placing devices to tube the yarn and means for retsang the spool and again subsequently fixing the same during the tubing operation to let out a prede termined length of yarn.

1;. In a machine for placing tuft yarns in carpet manufacture through the tubes of a tube frame, the combination with a plurality of thread-placing devices, a tube frame holder. an alining guide for the yarns, means to caiise relative movement between the said devices and the tubes to tube the yarns, spool-holding means comprising holders for each end of the spool, means connecting said holders to cause them to turn simultaneously, means normally to prevent movement of the holding means but automatically to release the same during the tubing operation to permit the yarn to unwind from the spool.

13. In a machine for placing tuft yarns in carpet manufacture through the tubes of a tube frame, the combination with a plurality of thread-placing devices, means for causing relative movement between the same and the tubes to tube the yarns, a holder for the yarns, and means providing for movement of the holder during the tubing movement of the needles to present an increased slack length of yarn.

14. In a tubing machine for tuft yarns, the combination with a plurality of tubing devices, a tube frame holder, means for causing relative movement between said devices and the tubes of said holder to tube the yarns, a yarn holder and yarn slack producing mechanism automatically actuated by the said relative movement to provide additional slack for the said tubing operation.

15. In a tubing machine for carpet manufacture, the combination with tubing holding means, a series of yarn placing devices, means for moving the same to tube the yarns, yarn holding means for presenting the yarns to the tubing action of the tubing devices, said holding means including a spool for holding the body of the yarns and a removable transfer comb for the ends of the yarns, the latter being adapt-ed to be applied to the yarns at the set frame and installed with them in the tubing machine, and means providing for relative movement between the yarn holding means during the tubing movement of the tubing devices to provide a sufficient slack to enable the requisite length of yarn to be placed through the tubes, thereby permitting the yarn to be trimmed down closely to the transfer comb.

16. In a tubing machine for carpet manufacture, the combination with tube holding means of a series of yarn placing devices, means for moving the same to tube the yarns, a transfer comb for holding the yarn ends, said comb being removable from the machine and adapted to be applied to the yarns at the set frame and installed with them in the tubing machine, whereby the yarn ends may be so related to the comb as to be withdrawn therefrom on the initial tubing movement of the yarn placing devices, and means for providing suflicient additional slack to enable the requisite length of yarns to be placed through the tubes.

17. In a tubing machine for carpet manufacture, the combination with tube holding,

means of a series of yarn placing devices, means for removing the same to tube the yarns, a removable transfer comb for holding the ends of the yarns, the said comb being adapted to be applied to the yarns at the set frame and installed with them in the tubing machine, a spool for holding the body of the yarns, and means providing for the movement of the spool during the tubing movement of the tubing devices to provide a sufficient slack to enable the requisite length of yarns to be placed through the tubes, thereby permitting the yarns to be trimmed down closely to the transfer comb.

18. In a machine for tubing tuft yarns, the combination with a tube frame support, a series of thread placing devices, means to actuate them simultaneously to tube the yarns, a rotatable holder for the spool, means for holding the holder fixed, and means cooperating with the thread-placing actuating means for automatically releasing the spool holder.

19. In a machine for tubing tuft yarns, the combination with a tube frame support, a series of thread placing devices, means to actuate them simultaneously to tube the yarns, a rotatable support for each end of the spool on which the spool end is held fast, means to hold the supports fixed or released as required, and connections between the to the spool to cause the said supports to turn simultaneously.

20. In a machine for tubing tuft yarns, the combination with a tube frame support, a series of thread placing devices, means to actuate them simultaneously to tube the yarns, a rotatable support for each end of the spool on which the spool end is held fast, connections between the spool supports independent of and exterior to the spool to cause the said supports to turn simultaneously, means to hold said holders fixed, and means cooperating with the thread placing actuating means for automatically releasing said supports.

21. In a machine for tubing tuft yarns,

the combination with a tube frame support,

tubing mechanism, a rotatable spool holder normally held at rest, and means cooperating with the tubing mechanism for automatically releasing the holder for turning movement.

22. In a machine for tubing tuft yarns, the combination with a tube frame support, tubing mechanism, a rotatable spool holder, a lock for said holder, and means actuated by the tubing means for releasing said lock.

23. In a machine for tubing tuft yarns, the combination with a tube frame support, tubing mechanism, a rotatable spool holder, a ratchet connected therewith, a pawl normally engaging said wheel to hold the spool fixed, and means automatically actuated with the tubing mechanism for disengaging the said pawl from the ratchet.

2st. In a machine for placing tuft yarns in carpet manufacture through the tubes of a tube frame, the combination with tubing means of a tube frame holder, a rotatable support for each end of the spool in which the end is removably placed and held, means to hold the supports fixed or released as required, and means connecting said supports for simultaneously turning the same.

25.111 a machine for placing tuft yarns in carpet manufacture through the tubes of a tube frame, the combination of tubing means of a tube frame holder, a rotatable support for the spool, means to hold the support fixed or released as required, and means to turn the support.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

CHARLES LEA.

Witnesses:

EVERETT S. EMERY, THOMAS B. BOOTH.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

